Google Introduces Nexus 7, Toughest Competition to the iPad?

Google Introduces Nexus 7, Toughest Competition to the iPad?

Google is stepping in next week with an Android tablet it helped design. It's the Nexus 7, a $199 model with a 7-inch screen.  Most buyers say it’s a sure winner.

After testing the Nexus 7 for a couple of weeks, many consider it the best Android tablet so far. It's a serious alternative to both Apple's larger $499 iPad and to a more direct rival: Amazon's $199, Android-based, 7-inch Kindle Fire. I prefer the Nexus 7 to 7-inch models from Google partners like Samsung, whose comparable product costs $250.

The new Google tablet doesn't have all the features of the iPad. For instance, it lacks a cellular connectivity option, a rear camera and the iPad's dazzling screen resolution. Its base model has half the memory of the iPad's. It offers fewer content choices–music, movies, TV shows–than either the Apple or Amazon devices do. It also has very few apps designed for a tablet, as opposed to a phone, while the iPad boasts over 200,000 apps for tablet use. And its screen area is less than half the size of the iPad's.  Despite some drawbacks, many people found it a breeze to use.

The Nexus 7 even includes an artificial-intelligence feature, following in the path of Apple's much-touted Siri. It answers some spoken questions, like Siri does. But it also presents a screen, called Google Now, with information it considers relevant to you at your present location and time–like the weather, traffic conditions between home and work, your next calendar appointment, and information for flights you've been researching.

The Nexus 7 also carries an unusual distinction: It's the first tablet I've tested that beats the iPad in my standard battery test. It lasted over 10 hours, about 45 minutes more than the latest iPad.

Every tablet must be compared with the iPad, which has become synonymous with the category. And Apple is rumored to be planning a smaller, less costly iPad, which could give the Nexus 7 a run for its money.

Also, even though Google isn't emphasizing it, the Nexus 7, like other Android devices, can run 600,000 apps, almost as many as Apple offers.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Thursday July 12 2012, 6:10 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Shopping. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0